Archive for Dale

“My surfmat guy…” That’s usually as far as I get before being interrupted. The interruptions are not always spoken. Often, they are blank looks. That’s not an intro most people have heard before. It turns out not everyone has a surfmat guy. Fortunately, I do.

His name is Dale. He lives in coastal Oregon. He makes the most badass surfmats on the planet. That is an undisputed fact. Evidence: other people who make mats ride Dale’s mats.

What makes one mat better than another? That’s a common follow up question. To be honest, I don’t know that I can answer that question accurately. I know the materials matter. I think the rocker – that’s right, Dale’s mats have rocker – matters. I believe the size relative to the rider matters. I can tell you the level of inflation matters. I know when I ride one that is dialed in, I can absolutely tell the difference. That matters.

Surfmats are not for everyone. That’s ok. They’re frustrating, decidedly uncool and really hard to get wired. But that’s ok. Dale can only make so many mats. His is not a production process that can be mass replicated. They are hand constructed. Each Neumatic Surfmat receives custom laminations and even a “name”. They receive love, from both Dale and their owner.

Considering he spends hours just building each custom mat, let alone planning each mat with the eventual owner, I am not sure he could handle much more.

This post is probably not much use to anyone. If you ride mats, you know of Dale. (You should also be riding one of his mats.) If you don’t ride mats, you really don’t care. That’s ok. Surfmats are uncool. It’s better that way.

If you didn’t know of Dale and you want a top caliber surfmat, check out Neumatic Surfmats.